Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-04
AN ANGEL Oh A DEVIL.
The Closing Remarks of Attorney Genera
Hogg IN the Willis Case.

The Closing Remarks of Attorney General
Hogg IN the Willis Case.
AUSTIN, Ten, March ,, 1881.
| To the Editor of the Gazette.
Judge Frank Willis has once more
come before the high forum of the law
making power of the state government,
to answer to the charge of collision,
fraud and corruption in office He has
been nobly represented by learned coun-
sci, whose eloquent appeals and able ar
guments have rendered sll the Cefense
that laborious search andlegal acumen can
draw from the musty depths of bygone
ages, or can Gull from the presidents
of modern law books. He has been en-
vironed, too, by the support of a number
of rich and influential friends, who have
neither spared money nor influence to
bring to his aid ali the means available
for his defense. He was accorded a pa
tent hearing before q select committee,
where ne was given oil privileges granted
under 8 liberal construction of the
rights of defendants in criminal
trials, before an impartial court
1t was solemn and grand spectacle that
met the eyes of the behOlders who entered
noon, when Acknowledgement HOgg, for
the state of Texas, facing the defendant
and his counsel, surrounded by the Rep
resentstives of the Lower House of the
Legislature, uttered these burning words:
ain conclusion, l ask you to take g look
at Judge Willis on the bench at that
court, representing Justice! See him in
his judicial ermine, holding the scales
equally balanced, View him, bludfold-
ed, with arms outstretched, weighing the
rights Of the state and of the accused!
Behold him, posing there as the purest of
mortals, removed from the influences of
interest, prejudice ard passion, guard
ing with equal jealousy the respective
claims OF Texas and of those cattle
barons.
"Such is an enviable picture. On the
other hand, clear up your visions, lay
aside your fancy and meet stern facts face
to face. Look at the man playing traitor
to the bench, in judicial ermine! See
him with the folds from his eyes
and the scales of justice from his hands
Behold him witnessing the test made by
the cowman's long arm, rusty steelyards
in the hands of Bonus Woodman and
the defendants lawyers, View him as
he tremblingly crouches upon his seat
and watches those liberal lords called up
for trial!
"There are stocked before him those
eighty-siX monstrous indictments-the
+ live days work of the self-confessed Grim
inals; 10 his right sits a jury composed
chiefly of their employees; to the lett
stands the Sheriff IN their pay; in front
poses that mild-mannered District Attor-
ney on salary by them, and surrounding
| him from every source arises the foul
fumes of conspiracy, fraud and corruption
which every honest man there smells
with disgust agd shame! And all for
| JUSTICE God spare the term.
! "ThOSe doubtful balances QUESTIONABLE
held are raised up in contempt before the
court. In steps self-indicted culprit to
| be weighed. With him he takes eight OF
his employees, his paid sheriff, his salaried
district attorney, and calls on his three
able counsel to place their heavy hands
on his shoulders to hold the thing down;
! looks around, sees his comrades in crime
there watching and waiting to assist him,
and then he complacently casts wistful
look upon His Honor and wells out:
Pm ready What constitutes the anti
poise placed on the long arm to produce
an equilibrium: What is it? The verbal
admissions Of the lawyers, Not wit
ness IS added there to give weight; not a
man raises his hand sincerely to draw
down the beam for The state; but, already
tipped, 1t IS never shaken or lowered !
from It's high-fastened place, A few |
minutes pass. silence prevails and 'his |
honor announces solemnly from the |
bench that the defendant outweighs the |
state; that he has won. Thus, for fifty |
six times, this unprecedented perform |
ance Is gone through with in open court, |
and yet we are told that this man is a |
Just Judge, Thai he is innocent and de- |
serves to continue to wear the mantle |
of the purest of proud pro- |
fession. Yes, he's innocent! Innocent, |
Yes, innocent. If he were reveling in |
the lurid play grounds OF hell, side by |
side with monster imps, tossing here and |
there human souls as foot balls, he would |
be too innocent to even suspect that the
influence of the devil was about him |
Yes, he's too Innocent From all the |
facts in this case, if he is not guilty, then |
Frank Willis is too pure to hold human
office. If he is guilty, he's too corrupt |
to I'LL the dirtiest place! From the To-
born dictates of conscience, the inspired |
principles OF duty, the pure instincts of |
elevated manhood you ought to act.
Stand by the law, invoke the principles
Of justice and purify the Judiciary of our
grand and noble state by forever retiring
Frank Willis from the Office of District |
Judge"
at the conclusion of his argument the |
House adjourned until ) O'Clock p. m,
and when they resssembled in their hall |!
q motion was made and carried by |
two-thirds vote sustaining the charges |
against Judge Willis. The matter will |
now go before the Senate Thursday next, |
and that august body will perform the |
last solemn act in the investigation.
JT-STVCr